Thread removing apparatus



Oct. 1, 1963 H. A. KRUG 3,195,284

THREAD REMOVING APPARATUS Filed April 17. 1961 s Sheets-Sheet 1 INVENTOR.

#E/YQEQT A. Keua Oct' 1, 1963 H. A. KRUG THREAD REMOVING APPARATUS 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed April 17. 1961 INVENTOR. fimwzm- A. Kev

TQIf/VEYS I Oct. 1, 1963 H. A. KRUG THREAD REMOVING APPARATUS Filed April 1'7, 196].

3 Sheets-Sheet 3 INVENTOR.

HEQBEIFT lL/(raua BY 5 i Wolf/v5 v United States Patent 3,105,284 THREAD REMOVING APPARATUS Herbert A. Krng, 402 Seminole Road, Northvale, NJ. Filed Apr. 17, 1961, Ser. No. 103,390 Claims. (Cl. 26-11) This invention rel-ates to thread removing apparatus and more particularly relates to an apparatus adapted to cooperate with a fabric producing machine so as to cut and remove floater threads from the surface of the fabric as it is produced and advanced.

In the manufacture of lace patterned fabrics, embroideries, open work goods, spot designs and other textile fabrics, separately dis-posed spots or figures are woven or inwrought by continuous threads that are floated from one figure to another, and these floater threads remain upon the fabrics in the manufactured condition. The threads must be removed to dress up the fabric :and to attain the intended appearance. Heretofore this floater thread removal has been generally accomplished by hand, although machines adapted to cut the threads on manufactured bolts of fabric are known, as are other machines adapted to remove loose ended threads from manufactured bolts of fabric.

Removing floater threads by hand is a very laborious process that materially increases the labor cost of goods so processed. Those machines in the prior art that cut or remove floater threads avoid this excessive labor, but involve appreciable space and thus the rearrangement of heavy existing machinery, and also involve considerable capital outlay. Both the hand labor approach and the prior art machine approach :add additional steps to the manufacturing process, involving extra handling of the fabric after production and before de-threading. What has been needed in the art is a simple, compact, economical de-threading apparatus that would not involve rearranging of heavy installation machines in the factory and that would not interrupt the production flow of fabric for a dc-threading operation.

It is therefore an object of the present invention to provide an apparatus that is adapted to continuously remove floater threads from fabric as it is produced.

Another object of the invention is to integrate a floater removing apparatus with a fabric producing apparatus so that both operations may be watched by the same operator.

Another object of the invention is to provide a simple apparatus for removing floater threads from fabric so as to decrease labor costs or installation costs over prior methods.

Another object of the invention is to provide a floater removing apparatus that requires no additional floor space and consequently may be used without rearranging existing production machinery.

Another object of the invention is to provide a floater removing apparatus that economically and efficiently removes fioaters from a fabric without in any way slowing or interrupting the production process.

Another object of the invention is to eliminate the handling heretofore associated with separate floater removing steps.

These and other objects of the invention will be more fully appreciated upon examination of the following description and the appended drawings.

Briefly, the objects of the invention are accomplished by mounting the inventive apparatus upon a fabric producing machine in which the fabric moves in a production direction as it emerges, and wherein the fabric has a plurality of loose substantially parallel floater threads extending in said production direction. The inventive apparatus is adapted to cut and remove these floater "ice threads and comprises traversing means adapted to re ciprocally traverse the entire Width of the emerging fabric essentially perpendicularly to the floater threads, cutting means on the traversing means adapted to cut the floater threads during traverse, erection means on the traversing means adapted to erect the loose floater thread ends as produced by the cutting means, and shaving means adapted to out and remove the erected loose ended threads away from the fabric, the traversing means being adapted to automatically traverse in correlation to the production advance of the fabric so as to remove all the floater threads as they are advanced in the production direction.

In the drawings:

FIGURE 1 is a plan view of fabric having floater threads removable by the apparatus of the present invention.

FIGURE 2 is a perspective view of the floater removing apparatus of the present invention mounted upon a fabric pro-ducing machine.

FIGURE 3 is a detail view of the rail and carriage of the floater removing apparatus of FIGURE 2.

FIGURE 4 is :a perspective detail of a portion of the inventive apparatus of FIGURE 1 showing the orientation of the floater cutting means and floater shaving means to the floater carrying fabric.

FIGURE 5 is a view of the floater cutting means of FIGURE 4 taken along line 5-5 therein.

FIGURE 6 is :a view of the floater shaving means of FIGURE 4 taken along line 6-6 there-in.

The invention comprises, in general, traversing means 39 having cutting means 40 mounted thereon and erection and shaving means 50 mounted in tandem thereon, and adapted to reciprocally traverse a floater carrying fabric 20 as it emerges from a fabric producing machine 10 in correlation to the advance of said fabric 20 so as to cut and remove all floater threads 21 as they are advanced.

Fabric 20, as shown clearly in FiGURE l, is intended to represent any one of several types of fabric having a background 23 with floater threads 21 thereon. In the illustrative fabric shown, the patterns 22 are regularly set out upon background 23, and are aligned in the production direction indicated by direction arrow 24*. Consequently floater threads 21 lie exactly in the production direction of the fabric. However, as hereinafter explained, the invention is useful with floater threads and patterns not regular and not set out precisely in the production direction. It is only essential that a clear path, at :any angle, be available for traversing means 3% that lies between the patterns 22 and essentially perpendicular to floater threads 21.

Fabric producing machine 10 may be any machine producing a fabric having floater threads thereon. The floater threads may extend in the exact direction of fabric production as do floater threads 21 in FIGURE 1, or they may extend in the general production direction, that is, at an angle to the direction of fabric production. In either case the present invention may be adapted by slight adjustment to cut and remove the threads as produced. Both these orientations will hereafter be designated as floater threads extending in the production direction.

Traversing means 30 comprises a track 31 running across the entire width of fabric 29 essentially perpendicular to floater threads 21. When floater threads 21 are angled with respect to the production direction, the track 31 may be similarly angled so as to attain an essentially perpendicular orientation to such floater threads. Upon track 31 rides carriage 32, which is urged to reciprocally traverse track 31 upon wheels 33by chain 36 3 affixed thereto driven by reversing motor 34 operating through sprocket 35. The ratio of the motor speed and the sprocket size is such as to assure that carriage 32 will 'make at least one full traverse and return each time a new uncut row of floater threads 21 is advanced under track 31 in the fabric production direction. Proper selection of motor 34 and sprocket 35 will assure one or more passes of carriage 32 for each said advance. Moreover in a machine having variable production rates, motor 34 can be shifted to various correlated drive ratios by mechanical or electrical interlock to the machine drive system; Motor 34 has a reversing switch 37 actuated by carriage 32 and disposed to reverse motor 34 and carriage 32 at each end of track 31.

Upon carriage 32 of traversing means 3% is mounted cutting means it? which comprises a clipper 41 having a comb-member 42 disposed at such a height as to be in close planar communication with the surface of fabric 29, but slightly separated therefrom. The comb-member 42 has its orientation in the direction of traverse of the carriage.

Mounted at either side of comb E2, and extending in the same direction are floater raising means 43 which are rounded triangular members having the bottom side 44 thereof disposed sufficiently below comb-member 42 so as to depress the background of fabric 29 thereunder, as best shown in FIGURE 5. A rounded apex extends in the direction of comb-member 42 and the height of this rounded portion is less than the disposition of the entire floater raising means 43 below the fabric level. That is, the rounded apex 45 is somewhat below the fabric 2d ievel and consequently below the normal floater 21 level.

V The opposite ends 48 of raising means 43 are rounded off to ride over an uncut floaters upon the return traverse of carriage 32.

Thus, as shown in FIGURE 5, when cutting means 49 traverses fabric 2%, floater raising means 43 depresses the background 23 thereof and rounded apex 45 smoothly rides under floater threads 21. The inclined side of floater raising means 43 thereupon'rides floaters 21 upwardly as cutting means 49 advances, until floaters 21 are intercepted by comb 42 as best shown in FIGURE 5. Within cutting means 4% are cutting blade means or cutters 46 that are constantly powered in a clipping fashion by motor 47, as best shown in FIGURE 2. When uncut floaters 21 as shown in FIGURES 4 and 5 meet these cutters 45 in cutting means 46, they are cut and a pair of loose ends 21a are produced in place of each uncut floater thread 21.

Shaving means 5%) is mounted on carriage 32 in tandem with cutting means-4t and thus follows the same path along track 31 over fabric 29 as does cutting means 446. Shaving means 5% is adapted to clip and remove the cut floater threads 21a produced by cutting means 40, and comprises a clipper 51 having a comb-member 52 in all ways similar to the clipper 41 and comb-member 42 of cutting means 40. Also Within clipper 51 are cutting blades 56 powered by motor 57, both also similar to those on cutting means 40. Cutting blades 46 and 56 are of conventional design and of the well known type used in electric clippers and shavers.

Associated with shaving means is thread erection and removal means 53 comprising a chamber 54 associated with the comb-member 52 thereof and communicating in open registration therewith and slightly separated from the surface of fabric 20 so as to form a suction intake therewith, as shown in FIGURE 6. Chamber .54 is connected to vacuum source 55 by vacuum hose 58. Vacuum source 55 also'acts as a thread collection bin for shaved and removed floater threads.

As shown in FIGURE 6, chamber 54 with a constantly supplied partial vacuum therein will draw air from the bottom edges thereof bordering fabric 20. This strong updraft erects the loose floater ends 21a which are then intercepted by comb-member 52 and clipped off by cutting blade means 56. The shaved ends are then carried by said updraft through vacuum hose 53 and into thread collection bin 55.

When production machine 19 is started, and fabric 20 advances step-wise or in other fashion, carriage 32 is automatically reciprocally transversed across the entire width of said fabric, as mentioned. On the forward passes, that is those wherein the combs 42 and 52 are forwardly disposed, any uncut floaters 21 are cut and shaved and removed. On the opposite direction or return passes, caused by reversing switch 37 actuating reversing motor 34, any uncut floaters are not disturbed, since shaving means 50 in no way touches fabric 2%, and floater raising means 43 on cutting means 40 are curved at 43 so as to ride over any uncut floaters on such return passes.

What has been described is an apparatus adapted to economically and continuously remove floater threads from fabric as produced on the production machine itself so as to avoid slowing the production process by hand operations or handling steps that would otherwise interrupt a full flow process operation.

A specific embodiment of the invention has been shown, and is deemed to be an advantageous form thereof, however it is to be understood that various modifications in details and arrangement of elements may be practiced Within the inventive scope represented by the instant embodiment, as will be fully understood by those slc lled in the art.

What is claimed is:

1. A floater removing apparatus adapted for use with a fabric producing machine in which the fabric moves in a production direction as it emerges and wherein the fabric has a plurality of loose substantially parallel floater threads extending in said production direction comprising a carriage for reciprocally traversing the entire width of said emerging fabric essentially perpendicular to said floater threads, at floater cutter on said carriage for cutting said floater threads during traverse and comprising a clipper having a comb member disposed to traverse the plane of said fabric in close communication therewith, a floater raiser for raising the uncut threads relative to the fabric surface so as to be intercepted by said comb member, and cutters within said clipper disposed to out said intercepted threads so as to produce two loose ends thereof for each cut thread, and a shaver in tandem with said floater cutter and comprising a clipper on said carriage having a comb member disposed to traverse the plane of said fabric in close communication therewith, and cutters within said clipper for clipping threads intercepted by said comb member, a thread erector and remover on said carriage comprising an open bottomed chamber associated with the comb member of said' shaver and communicating therewith so as to form a suction intake with said fabric surface, and a vacuum source attached to said chamber and having a thread collection bin therein, said thread-erector and remover being adapted to erect the loose floater thread ends as produced by said floater cutter in a manner disposed for interception by said shaver comb member and to remove and deposit in said bin the shaved threads produced by said shaver, said carriage being adapted to automatically traverse in correlation to the advance of said fabric so as to remove all said floater threads as 1 they are advanced in said production direction. y 2. The apparatus according to claim 1 wherein said 1 floater raiser comprises means aflixed to said floater cutter adapted to depress the fabric background under said floater threads and to raise said uncut floater threads so as to be intercepted by said floater cutter comb.

3. The apparatus according to claim 1 wherein said floater raiser comprises at least one rounded triangular member mounted to said floater cutter having one side thereof disposed below the level of said fabric so as to depress the background thereof, and having one rounded apex thereof disposed in the leading direction from said floater cutter comb, the second side of said triangle extending from said apex in an inclined relation to said fabric surface so as to lift uncut floater threads above the normal fabric surface line While depressing said fabric background below said line, both so as to allow said uncut threads to be intercepted by said floater cutter comb.

4. The apparatus according :to claim 1 further comprising a track disposed on said fabric producing machine substantially perpendicular to said floater threads and extending the width of said fabric, said traversing carriage mounted thereon and adapted to reciprocally traverse said track, and a motor adapted to drive said carriage along said track at a rate correlated to the advance of said fabric so as to remove all said floater threads as they are advanced in said production direction,

5. A floater removing apparatus adapted for use with a fabric producing machine in which the fabric moves in a production direction as it emerges and wherein the fabric has a plurality of loose substantially parallel floater threads extending in said production direction comprising a track disposed on said fabric producing machine substantially perpendicular to said floater threads and extending the Width of said fabric, a movable carriage thereon for reciprocally traversing said track, a motor for driving said carriage along said track at a rate correlated to the advance of said fabric so as to allow interception of all said floater threads by said carriage, a floater-cutter on said carriage comprising a clipper having a comb member disposed to traverse the plane of said fabric in close communication therewith, a floater raiser comprising a triangular member afliXed to said floater cutter and having a bottom side thereof disposed below the normal level :of said fabric so as to depress the fabric background under said floater threads and having an inclined side thereof for coordinately raising said uncut floater threads so as to be intercepted by sm'd comb member, and cutters within said clipper disposed to out said intercepted threads so as to produce two loose ends thereof for each cut thread, and a shaver mounted on said carriage in tandem with said floater cutter comprising a clipper having a comb member disposed to traverse the plane of said fabric in close communication therewith, and cutters within said clipper disposed to clip threads intercepted by said comb member, a thread erector and remover on said carriage comprising an open bottomed chamber associated with the comb member of said shaver and communicating therewith so as to form a suction intake with said fabric surface, and a vacuum source attached to said chamber and having a thread collection bin therein, said thread erector and remover being adapted to erect the loose floater thread ends produced by said floater-cutter in a manner disposed for interception by said shaver comb member and to remove and deposit in said bin the shaved threads produced by said shaver.

References (Zited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,113,112 Kitzmiller Apr. 5, 1938 2,636,245 Stout Apr. 28, 1953 2,664,920 Riddle Jan. 5, 1954 

1. A FLOATER REMOVING APPARATUS ADAPTED FOR USE WITH A FABRIC PRODUCING MACHINE IN WHICH THE FABRIC MOVES IN A PRODUCTION DIRECTION AS IT EMERGES AND WHEREIN THE FABRIC HAS A PLURALITY OF LOOSE SUBSTANTIALLY PARALLEL FLOATER THREADS EXTENDING IN SAID PRODUCTION DIRECTION COMPRISING A CARRIAGE FOR RECIPROCALLY TRAVERSING THE ENTIRE WIDTH OF SAID EMERGING FABRIC ESSENTIALLY PERPENDICULAR TO SAID FLOATER THREADS, A FLOATER CUTTER ON SAID CARRIAGE FOR CUTTING SAID FLOATER THREADS DURING TRAVERSE AND COMPRISING A CLIPPER HAVING A COMB MEMBER DISPOSED TO TRAVERSE THE PLANE OF SAID FABRIC IN CLOSE COMMUNICATION THEREWITH, A FLOATER RAISER FOR RAISING THE UNCUT THREADS RELATIVE TO THE FABRIC SURFACE SO AS TO BE INTERCEPTED BY SAID COMB MEMBER, AND CUTTERS WITHIN SAID CLIPPER DISPOSED TO CUT SAID INTERCEPTED THREADS SO AS TO PRODUCE TWO LOOSE ENDS THEREOF FOR EACH CUT THREAD, AND A SHAVER IN TANDEM WITH SAID FLOATER CUTTER AND COMPRISING A CLIPPER ON SAID CARRIAGE HAVING A COMB MEMBER DISPOSED TO TRAVERSE THE PLANE OF SAID FABRIC IN CLOSE COMMUNICATION THEREWITH, AND CUTTERS WITHIN SAID CLIPPER FOR CLIPPING THREADS INTERCEPTED BY SAID COMB MEMBER, A THREAD ERECTOR AND REMOVER ON SAID CARRIAGE COMPRISING AN OPEN BOTTOMED CHAMBER ASSOCIATED WITH THE COMB MEMBER OF SAID SHAVER AND COMMUNICATING THEREWITH SO AS TO FORM A SUCTION INTAKE WITH SAID FABRIC SURFACE, AND A VACUUM SOURCE ATTAHCED TO SAID CHAMBER AND HAVING A THREAD COLLECTION BIN THEREIN, SAID THREAD ERECTOR AND REMOVER BEING ADAPTED TO ERECT THE LOOSE FLOATER THREAD ENDS AS PRODUCED BY SAID FLOATER CUTTER IN A MANNER DISPOSED FOR INTERCEPTION BY SAID SHAVER COMB MEMBER AND TO REMOVE AND DEPOSIT IN SAID BIN THE SHAVED THREADS PRODUCED BY SAID SHAVER, SAID CARRIAGE BEING ADAPTED TO AUTOMATICALLY TRAVERSE IN CORRELATION TO THE ADVANCE OF SAID FABRIC SO AS TO REMOVE ALL SAID FLOATER THREADS AS THEY ARE ADVANCED IN SAID PRODUCTION DIRECTION. 